Maintaining your property quick guide

publication date: Jan 11, 2013

Maintaining a property checklist

Checklist provided by 

www.propertychecklists.co.uk

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Read your insurance policy and find out what maintenance you need to carry out so your insurance remains valid.
Check the outside of the house when it’s raining for leaks in guttering at joints or due to a blockage.
Look at the chimneys for cracks and to see if the flashing seal is still intact where the chimney stack meets the roof.
  Check the loft to see if any tiles are missing, particularly after windy weather.
  Look at the walls around your house from the outside, is there anything that allows a build-up of water which could cause damp? 
  Is any vegetation growing up or near your walls which could cause damp?
  Are any tree roots near your home affecting the property’s foundations. 
Inside, after rain, feel walls top and bottom to see if they are damp, get a free damp and timber check if required.
Look at any cracks, check if they fit a 10p piece (sideways) if they do, secure help from an RICS or RPSA surveyor.
Make sure windows and doors are wind and water tight.
Have your boiler checked annually by a Gas Safe registered plumber to make sure it doesn’t break down during the winter period.
If you haven’t already, get your electrics checked and signed off with an electrical safety certificate by a qualified, ‘Part P’ electrician.
Check shower heads to see if they need cleaning or descaling.
Make sure bath or shower seals are still intact and not going mouldy.
Check tile grout to see if it is cracking or still intact.
Check carpets to see if they are secure, particularly on the stairs to avoid slips and falls.

Carry out the checks above once every six months and if you are planning on work to be done, make sure help you secure comes from companies who:-  

  • Give free and fixed estimates
  • Have all the relevant qualifications
  • Are members of trade and specialist organisations
  • Have ideally won local or national awards for service
  • Commit to a deadline from visit to providing an estimate

    And make sure they don’t charge for parking, petrol, any congestion charges or time travelling! 

All our information is brought to you by Kate Faulkner OBE, author of Which? Property books and one of the UK's top property experts.
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